In July 2004 a serious crisis erupted between the Moldovan government and the self-proclaimed territory of Transnistria, which had seceded in 1992. Although some 40% of Transnistria’s population spoke Romanian as its first language, the authorities in Tiraspol, the capital, forcibly closed six schools for teaching Romanian in the Latin rather than the Cyrillic script. On August 1 Moldova imposed economic sanctions and severed transport links with Transnistria, despite an earlier warning from the Russian Foreign Ministry not to take such steps. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which had promoted a federal solution, accused Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov of carrying out “linguistic cleansing.” The situation had already prompted U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to visit Moldova on June 26, when he added his voice to calls for Russia to abide by the 1999 OSCE agreement and withdraw its forces from Transnistria.

Meanwhile, previously tense bilateral relations with Romania (which had ruled nearly all of Moldova from 1918 to 1940) improved somewhat, and on May 27 the two heads of state met and decided to reactivate a joint commission meant to analyze all “serious issues” between them. Moldova, however, declined to participate in the ceremonies held across the border in Putna, Rom., on the first weekend of July to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great, whom the Orthodox Church had recently proclaimed a saint.

Moldova’s ruling Communist Party enjoyed 67.76% popular support, according to a poll published in May, but 48.5% of respondents also stated their belief that the poverty-stricken country, seen by some as showing some hallmarks of a failed state, was heading in the wrong direction.